One of the fastest growing age groups to receive cochlear implants is children. Cochlear implants can be implanted in children as young as 12 months old. The age was lowered from two years to one in 2000, after research continued to show that children who receive cochlear implants at a younger age acquire more age-appropriate language skills than children implanted when they are older. That's because younger children are exposed to sounds during a time in development that is crucial to acquiring speech and language skills.

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Good hearing depends on a series of events that change sound waves into electrical signals that travel through our cells and nerves to our brains. When the hair cells (cilia) or auditory nerves that make this happen are damaged, your hearing is affected.
Most people think of hearing loss (deafness) when the ear is damaged, but you can have other symptoms, too. You may hear a ringing or roaring sound (called tinnitus and pronounced TINN-uh-tus or tinn-UH-tus).
Most cases of hearing damage in those over 65 are caused by aging and heredity, but doctors are increasingly concerned about hearing damage in young patients, such as those who are exposed to loud on-the-job noises (jackhammers) or recreational noise (fireworks and loud music).
It's important to understand the causes of hearing loss and what you can do to prevent it.